At Elope Montana, Lindsey Gardner has found the perfect match for her talents.

For years, the local photographer took photos for newspaper articles and weddings, but she never got comfortable with the staged feeling of the photo shoot. Then, in summer 2018, she said “I do” to a bold new venture: a full-service elopement business.

Elope Montana provides a low-key alternative to traditional wedding ceremonies. Gardner works one-on-one with each couple to plan the location of their elopement — usually in Glacier National Park and almost always outdoors — and to provide photography, flowers, cake, and any other custom touches clients might want for their big day.

Elopement ceremonies usually include only the couple, the officiant and the photographer, but Elope Montana offers services for up to 25 people. Since launching the business two years ago, Gardner has found Elope Montana to be a personal, low-stress option for couples looking to celebrate their connection in an unbeatable location.

“More and more people want the custom ceremony,” she said. “They want it to be meaningful.”

GARDNER STARTED the business with her friend Kate Berry, who brings a social work background to her role as one of two Elope Montana officiants.

The pair pulled off their first elopement together in Many Glacier in 2018, and they decided to team up after they both realized they had created something truly special.

They eventually brought on a second officiant in Sarah Harding, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” who has been involved in an array of pursuits in Whitefish for the past 20 years. Six months ago, Harding finished a nondenominational online training program for officiants, qualifying her as an “endorsed humanist celebrant.”

If it’s a term that sounds unfamiliar, it was just as foreign to the Elope Montana crew when they embarked on their business journey together.

None of the women, who all keep busy with separate jobs and children in addition to their elopement duties, set out with a vision to conduct elopements before they found themselves doing just that.

“We just stumbled upon something that was really special and different,” Berry recalled.

Each of them simply drew upon their personal experiences with their own ceremonies or friends’ weddings and combined that knowledge with their individual skills — photography for Gardner, and writing and public speaking for Berry and Harding.

Probably their biggest strength, and the strongest draw for clients, is each woman’s ability to connect personally with the couples.

“I think the part that makes it so magical is that through each step of the process, I know that Lindsey or Sarah and I want to be like family to these people,” said Berry. “We’re carrying that ethos through every step.”

PRIOR TO the ceremony, the Elope Montana team sends out a detailed questionnaire asking the couple intimate questions about their love story and what love means to them. Afterward, the couple and the officiant do an interview together to craft a ceremony that’s unique to each set of clients.

“We’re reflecting back to them their own values and wishes,” said Harding. “It’s super sweet. People love it.”

People also seem to love avoiding the stress and costs that often come with traditional large wedding ceremonies. Couples who elope also can incorporate unique requests and specific customs into their ceremonies. They can even take breaks when they’re overcome with emotion, or laughter, or chilly temperatures in the wild environment of Glacier, Berry pointed out.

And one of the biggest benefits of using Elope Montana’s services are Gardner’s stunning photographs, which capture the natural beauty of the setting and the individuals celebrating their love there.

“Lindsey has such a gift for setting people at ease,” Berry said. “She makes it feel natural. There’s no pressure. I think something that comes out of that style is something that is real, timeless, something that will forever be beautiful.”

So far, Elope Montana has mostly catered to out-of-towners looking for a wild experience in Montana. They said a lot of their clients have come from the Midwest and the southern United States. Clients tend to be adventurous, go-with-the-flow types who love to travel and appreciate the outdoors.

The trend seems to be growing increasingly popular, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic has forced recent newlyweds to hold smaller ceremonies. Elope Montana offers services year-round, and during the peak summer season they sometimes have seen bookings as frequent as three to four ceremonies per week. Their schedule is already almost full for September 2021.

Anyone who has met the Elope Montana trio can easily see why they’ve quickly become so popular. To some, eloping outdoors no doubt seems a little unorthodox, but it’s hard to imagine a group of people more committed to the concept of love that undergirds this kind of celebration. It’s apparent even in the way they sign off from an hour-long Zoom call, reminding one another as they go their separate ways, “I love you.”

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.